The Portland daily press., 1887-12-12
the NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Some Bits of Talk About Senators
and Other Big Men.
Secretary Lamar's Southern SentI
ments and HIS Nomination.
The Senators Who VIII Serge on the
Committees.
rspeclal TO the Press.l

the first day, and the beginning of actual
business, is here. 1t is rare that any real
work is done before the holidays, at the be-
ginning of a long session. The Senate will
get to work first; Tuesday probably being
the DAY when actual legislation will be SET
going. The Senate will begin first because
1t will have its committees selected first. Ii
was task, though, to make up these CON-
mittees. Senators, Hoar, Allison, Sherman,
Dolph and the others, seven in all, worked
from 9 in the morning until in the after
noon, for four successive days, until they
had the schedule arranged to their satisfac-
tion. 1t was a work of placing and re-plac-
ing, putting forward, back and then shaking
up all over again. There was great deal
more of it to do this year than before in a
long time, for the filling of vacancies by the
legislatures of 1887 had put not few new
faces in the body.
Senator Harrison Holt Riddleberger, OF
Virginia, has found out who his successor is
to be in 1889, when the Senate starts off the
next new session. 1t is Representative Bar
bour; and thus the State will have totally
changed its senatorial delegation in ten
years. John Warwick Daniel, who has just
taken his seat on the Democratic side, and
who achieved immediate fame, among the
lady spectators at least, by having whole
| hot-house of flowers on his desk, is very
| proud of his face and figure. He looks con-
siderably like Edwin Booth, or as Booth
used to with his smooth-shayen face, boldly
marked features, and dead black hair and
eyes. He is rather inclined to posing, and
unless Matt Ransom of North Carolina is
| careful to sustain his reputation, he will find
that the new man is dangerous rival. Ran
som has fine head Of grey hair, and button
| ed up in long frock coat, standing very
erect, likes to pace up and down the chamber
| In the space back of the seats. Senator DAN
iel prefers a sitting posture, in which be con-
trives to look very picturesque.
John S. Barbour, who is to succeed Riddle
berger, has been in the House about as long
as Daniel, and promises to be quite as prom
inent. Daniel is an orator and nothing more.
That is, he is able to pour out long flow Of
phrases, melodious and melodiously voiced,
with dramatic gestures interspersed. But
behind it all there is very little. He is no de-
batter Barbour was somewhat prominent in
the group Of Democrats who, last session,
devoted their energies heartily to making
their desire for an abolition of the internal
revenue tax on tobacco clear to the country,
and particularly to their own people. Bar
bour is a Culpepper county man, which
means good deal in the Virginian way. His
election probably does more than any other
thing to remove Gen. Malone from public
life. The wiry little man is of strong con-
stitution, and as full of ambition to go back
to the Senate as ever, it is said. But it is
getting too far into the latter part OF life for
him to do it. The placing of these two
younger scions of the old State means more
to him than he is apt to like to confess. Bar
bour is principally known outside of his po-
litical cause, as president of the old Virginia
Midland railroad.
Riddlebcrger has not yet given many signs
of celebrating his last senatorial appearance,
except in few freaks. Since his Jail expe-
riences in Virginia last summer, he has been
comparatively tame and gentle. The worst
symptoms of an outbreak he has given this
session have been his numerous and success
i've announcements of the way he would act
in case of any Senate contest First he was
going to vote one way, then the other. He
gave out that he weuld sit impartial as a
judge one day. The next the Democrats
had wormed out of him the decision that he
would vote with them all the time. 1t did
not really seem as if he knew himself tive
days together his actual intentions. So the
chances are, certainly, that he will on occa-
sions again get up an undignified snicker in
the Senate, as he did suddenly one day last
year, when, interrupting Mr.. Edmunds in
debate, he asked that some one ring chest
nut bell.
There is a scheme, an Idaho man who is
well posted says, to have two Senators in the
VOORHEES, family. The one already in his
seat is Daniel w. Voorhees,. sometimes
known as the Tall Sycamore of the Wabash
His son, Charles Stewart Voorhees,, is now
sitting in the lower house as delegate from
Washington Territory. He is very anxious
to have the panhandle part of Idaho, which
contains the rich Ceur d'Alene mines, an
nexed to his territory, and the whole made
the State of Washington, from which he
shall be the Senator. His father is on his
side, and the committees on territories of
both houses were on his side last year. In
fact, as will be remembered, both houses
passed bill arranging for this, but the Pres
ident calmly put it in his pocket. This year
the Voorhees, scheme has two opponents,
Senator Stewart of Nevada, who wants
southern Idaho for an annex to his own
State, and the Idaho delegate himself, a
young Yale graduate, named Dubois, who
has come on to protect home interests, and
fight the Mormons. 1t will bean interesting
contest.
Though Secretary Lamar will probably be
confirmed Supreme Court judge, there will
be decided objections to him. There are
grounds enough to be sure. Even since he
has come into office he has lost no opportuni-
ty to flaunt his defence of the South for their
action in the war in the face of the people.
No longer ago than 1885, he said openly to
John Sherman, in reply to speech from
him, that he should never hear without an
emphatic denial the epithet of traitor ap-
piled to Jefferson Davis. Lamar has been,
extremists. That it has not come to the sur
face oftener than it has, is probably due
largely to his laziness. Lamar has gradually
become noted for this. He is dreamy theo-
rizer, and as a college professor had abund-
ant chance for indulging in speculation.
The Senate Committees.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-The Republican
senators assembled in caucus at IL o'clock TO-
day. The list of assignments to committees
was laid before the body by the caucus COM
mittee. One or two minor changes were
agreed upon in caucus and the list was ap-
proved. The caucus lasted less than an
hour The following is the full list of Re-
publican membership of the Senate commit
tees as arranged by the caucus:
Agriculture and forestry-Palmer, Blair Plumb,
Sabin, Paddock 80
Farwell.
dock.
bridge, Days.
Allison, Aldrich, Hiscock.
District of Columbia-Ingalls, Spooner, Chace,
RiddlebeTger, Farwell.
Education and labor-Blair. Bowen, Palmer,
| Sawyer, Wilson. 80,
| son.
| 4 sEnrolled bills-Bowen Sabin.
Civil service and retrenchment-Chac Dawes,
| Manderson, Stanford, Stewart.
Claims-Spooner, Hoar, Mitchell, Stewart
Quay.
Hiscock.
| Commerce-Frye Jones OF Nevada, Dclph, Cam
| f,u0m- Palmer